Parolee Charged After Chase Injures Three Officers, Cops Say

Eric Samuels, 17, of 600 block of East 131st Street, was arrested and charged with possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number, unlawful use of a weapon, three counts of aggravated fleeing and possession of a stolen vehicle, a misdemeanor count of assaulting a police officer and a traffic ticket for broken or inoperable tailights.
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Chicago Police Department

CHICAGO — A teen parolee was slapped with numerous criminal charges after he led cops on a high-speed pursuit that left three officers injured Wednesday on the South Side, police said.

Cops saw Eric Samuels, 17, driving a black 2011 Dodge Intrepid about 2:25 a.m. with a broken taillight and attempted to stop him in the 400 block of East 69th Street in Park Manor, police said in a statement.

As officers approached the car, they noticed the ignition on the car was stripped and a screwdriver was sticking out from the ignition lock, police said. As the officers continued to approach, the teen sped away from the scene.

Cops called for assistance and began to chase Samuels, police said. Police said assisting officers spotted the stolen car and pulled it over in the 500 block of East 74th Street.

A police cruiser is towed from the scene in the 500 block of East 73rd Street after the car crashed after a high-pursuit on Feb. 13.
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DNAinfo/Geoff Ziezulewicz

But Samuels wasn't ready to give up the chase, police said.

After stopping the Dodge, Samuels bolted from the car with a jacket wrapped around his hand, police said.

Cops caught up to Samuels, and he struggled with officers as they tried to arrest him, police said. Police said that during the struggle, officers saw that Samuels was holding a gun that he had attempted conceal with the jacket.

Officers disarmed Samuels and arrested him, according to the statement. A loaded 9 mm handgun with a defaced serial number was recovered, cops said. Officers also found on Samuels two fully loaded 15-round magazines and 38 additional 9 mm rounds.

Police said that at the time of his arrest, Samuels was wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet and was wanted on a parole violation warrant. The warrant is from a February 2012 arrest on gun-related charges, police said.

Sometime during the chase, three officers responding to the call were hurt when their cruiser crashed into a building in the 500 block of East 73rd Street, police said.

Police said one officer suffered a broken wrist, broken nose and a broken ankle; another suffered a cut on the left leg; and the third suffered minor injuries on the neck, back, and legs. Their injuries appeared to be non-life threatening, and the three were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, cops said.

Samuels, of the 600 block of East 131st Street in Riverdale, was arrested and charged with possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number, unlawful use of a weapon, three counts of aggravated fleeing and possession of a stolen vehicle.

He was also charged with a misdemeanor count of assaulting a police officer and a traffic ticket for the broken or inoperable taillights.